Tours Volleyball returns to Europe this Wednesday. Direction Zagreb, for the first leg of the CEV Cup round of 16 where the Tourangeaux will, on paper, be favorites. The opportunity to take stock with Zeljko Coric, the captain of TVB, who does not hide having ” haste “ to play in Zagreb, some three hours by car from home. “Because I have never played in Croatia, we speak the same language and I have friends who are going to come. » For the rest, he intends to continue winning, this week and especially at the end of the season.
Zeljko, what is the state of mind of the team and yours with, finally, this victorious series?
“It feels good to win, to be rewarded for the good work you have done. But we remain on our path which is to string together matches and win, recover points in the championship and secure our place in the play-offs. Today, we are preparing for Mladost which is a great team, young and ambitious. We too have young people who are ambitious but we have experienced players, even very experienced ones. (he smiles in reference to his status as the oldest on the team) ! The victory against Saint-Nazaire does us good to start this week with the CEV Cup and Paris afterwards. »
This success, like the one in Nice before, really boosts your confidence?
“Of course, victories give confidence and the desire to work again and win again. When we take three points in Nice – where even when we were champions, we struggled – it’s already a good sign and a good start. Now we just have to stay focused and not lower our level. If we play at 80, 90% of our abilities, we are very interesting. We must not get excited when we win because a cold shower can happen, but we must not doubt that we are capable because we have weapons and abilities. »
Did you ever have doubts?
“No… If we had taken a point in Tourcoing, a point here against Poitiers, if we had won in Toulouse for example, we would be 3e or 4e and we wouldn’t have talked about disappointment or anything. It is played on three, four balls which decide a match. In Nice, against Saint-Nazaire, these balls were for us and we won. It’s going to be like this all the time. You just don’t have to lose your head after a mistake or a lost round. Like Saint-Nazaire, where we reacted as we are capable of reacting. The experience and youth that we have, it’s a mixture that can succeed in everything, but also waste certain opportunities like in Tourcoing at 4e set. It’s a psychology game that we must master in important moments. »
And is this psychology game difficult and exciting?
“Let’s just say you’re not in control of the other heads. We just have to set an example, explain that it’s not the end of the world if we lose a match, if we make a mistake, but that we have to learn. And if the mistakes are repeated, then you have to work knowing where the problem is. »
This week you find the CEV Cup and the cleaver matches…
“These decisive matches are the joy of sport! Those in the regular phase are important for qualification, for confidence, but they are not yet decisive. All the players are waiting for the play-offs, the Coupe de France matches or here the CEV. It’s more exciting and it’s in these situations that you increase your psychological level. »
And on that note, the CEV cup, which generally increases, can help a group progress?
“It can help, yes. Facing, in the round before, Schönenwerd, a team that has played together for a long time, which created a lot of problems for us there and even here, it was perhaps good for us, to consolidate our game. We were focused , we recognized the situations where we had to be calm or aggressive, with the added challenge of qualification. »
How to envisage this Zagreb team?
“They surprised Friedrichshafen in the previous round. Despite the difficulty this club is in, it remains Friedrichshafen… So we have to be on alert, to be vigilant. They are not going to come by giving up their arms. »
What do you expect from this CEV Cup?
“I haven’t really looked at what awaits us if we pass. But we must not look too far ahead because that can be a trap with our youth. You have to play game by game. Every year, I say it: we have to concentrate on our level of play. If we play well and we lose, like last year against Trentino, hats off to the opponent. But if we manage to keep our level of play, we can go far. And if it’s quarter-final, final, it’s happiness. »
“Play match by match” usually sounds a bit cliché, but in your situation, is it really that?
“Yes, it’s cliché, but there is one clear thing at TVB, and that is that we are aiming for the end of the season. And to get there, you have to perform at a certain level. At the moment, we are on a long road. Even today, we are not in the play-offs. But that doesn’t stop us from thinking far ahead. So, the next match is the Croats, immediately after it will be Paris, and then Sète on Tuesday…”
Mladost Zagreb – Tours VB, Thursday December 5, at 7:30 p.m.
